Karl's Inn of the Barristers expands to Westlake

Across from Cleveland's Justice Center, Karl's Inn of the Barristers has been a popular downtown destination for lunches since 1991 when Karl Abounader opened it, after years in the old Osborne Building behind Halle's. Inn of the Barristers is still going strong. But recently, Abounader decided to branch out.

"We're famous for our corned beef -- everybody seems to love it -- so now we've got Karl's Corned Beef and More in a kiosk on Crocker Park Boulevard," says Abounader. That spot is a deli-to-go, featuring hot sandwiches and gyros, salads and hot dogs.

"Right next to it is another [kiosk], we're thinking of calling it Karl's Carnival Food -- a pretzel machine, nacho machine, popcorn, maybe soon we'll add fresh-cut french fries, as soon as we get a self-contained hood for our french-fryer," Abounader says. His wife, Marcelle, and son, Mike (a graduate of Pennsylvania Culinary Institute), run the kiosks, which are in Crocker Park's Chess Garden outdoor food court.

Charity event: Some of the nation's top female chefs and winemakers will convene in Cleveland on July 27 in the name of stopping hunger in America. The event, part of a 12-city tour, is sold out. It will be hosted at Lola Bistro and is part of Share Our Strength's "A Tasteful Pursuit," presented by Lexus. The SOS event has raised more than $1 million since 2005.

"There are over 12 million children in our country alone who have a hard time getting a single nourishing meal each day," said Michael Symon, who is hosting the event with Lola pastry chef Cory Barrett.

In addition to Karen Small of Cleveland's Flying Fig restaurant, the all-star lineup includes Michelle Bernstein of Michy's (Miami); April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig (New York); Karen DeMasco of Craft (New York); Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere (San Francisco); Koren Grieveson of Avec (Chicago); Anita Lo of Annisa (New York); and Celina Tio of The American Restaurant (Kansas City).

Event highlights will include live and silent auctions of culinary and travel items and more.

"We can use our skills and be part of the solution to providing children and their families with the nutritious foods they need to lead healthy lives," Symon said, in a written statement.

Few peers: Few restaurants can boast the magnificent lake view enjoyed by guests at Pier W, and few restaurants offer service with such finesse. Chalk that up to Kliment Stevoff, Pier W's service manager and wine director, who now can do some boasting of his own. Stevoff recently completed and passed the Certified Sommelier level of the Court of Master Sommeliers test. He passed a written and service examination and succeeded at a blind tasting of wines. Granted, his bragging rights are fairly limited; next year, Stevoff will vie for the advanced level of certification before he can try to win master level status.

By the way: In the back of the house, chef Regan Reik is heading to Alaska's Prince William Sound for the Copper River Wild Salmon Festival and the Cordova Centennial Celebration this weekend. Reik was invited to prepare a multicourse dinner for 100 chefs and food writers from across the nation. Dominic Cerino III, former chef-owner of Carrie Cerino Ristorante in North Royalton, will lend a hand.

Blizzard in July: Most of us have a guilty pleasure or two. (If we're lucky, it's only a couple.) For millions of Americans, Thin Mints rank high. Those chocolate-coated mint chocolate wafer cookies are the best-selling variety of Girl Scout cookies -- and now they're part of another favorite, the Dairy Queen Blizzard.

Through July, those soft-serve palaces nationwide will serve the "DQ Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard," featuring pieces of Thin Mint cookies and a creme de menthe-style topping. Average prices are $2.75 for the 12-ounce, $3.20 for the 16-ounce, and $3.65 for the 21-ounce Blizzard.

I have the good fortune (until weigh-in time at the doctor's office) to have friends who own a Dairy Queen franchise. At a recent gathering, they served slices of a Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Cake, also available through the promotion. The cake is very much the typical DQ ice cream cake -- light frozen soft-serve center laced with pieces of Thin Mints and a fluffy topping -- but it was a pleasant switch from their usual variety. Let's just say that both portion-control and self-control were most important that evening.

Harry'er: Add a fifth Harry Buffalo to the Northeast Ohio herd. A Highland Heights location, complete with 25 flat-screen televisions, recently opened on Highland Road near Bishop Road. A grand opening event is planned for Friday. If you're keeping count, a sixth location is scheduled to open in Painesville early next month.

Closings: When guests stopped by the Blue Moose Saloon in North Royalton's Timber Ridge strip mall Monday evening, they found the doors locked and a notice of closure. The landlords had taken over the space.

According to Ginny Roberts, who identified herself as a landlord for the property, the saloon's owner died in May.

Chances are another tavern or restaurant will lease the location, Roberts said. "It's all set up for that," she said. "We have a few prospects but nothing certain."

One likely contender? A member of the family that operates the Antonio's Pizza restaurants says it's looking to take over the space.

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